Unexpected
by ReadLikeYouMeanIt
Summary: There has already been one Selection for the Princess of Illéa, now there must be one for the Prince. Arabella doesn't know why she has been selected. There is nothing special about her. Her family is messed up, she's clumsy, so why is she in the running? All rights go to Kiera Cass
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is! I'm so excited about this story! Please comment, fav, follow, etc. you know the drill!**

**All rights go to the fabulous Kiera Cass.**

**-ReadLikeYouMeanIt**

I can't believe I've made it this far in the Selection. There are only twenty girls left. There were thirty-four. How has this all happened so fast?

It seems like yesterday I was back in Calgary going to the school for the arts. Ever since the castes were abolished, there have been special schools for each profession. There are evens schools for people who don't know what they want to do. No one expected there to be a Selection for the Prince. After the Princess has her Selection and chose her husband, people thought either they'd marry the Prince off or he'd find his love somewhere else. And how the heck did I get selected? What's special about me? More importantly, why am I still here? There's nothing special about my family. I'm not beautiful (well, I don't think I am). I probably wouldn't be a good leader. What does the Prince see in me? I'm so shy. Most of my teachers thought I was bright, but I was never the smartest one in my class. I can sing pretty well, but I'm no pop star. I'm not the best dancer. My acting is just so-so. My brown hair is so plain. It's curly, but not in a beautiful way. I can make it work, but I just always end up hating it. I'm not that skinny. I'm not fat either. My nail beds suck. I can't walk in heels. I do like the dresses they have here. I can read pretty well, and I enjoy reading, but what does that do? I'm just so...boring. I'm plain. I don't stand out.

My family's not better. My older brother, Nick (21), drinks too much. My dad, Calvin, can't keep the same job for a year. My mom, Julienne, has so poor health, she might as well be dead. My little sister, Danielle (16), is so rebellious, we can't keep track of her. My twin brother, Drew, and I (18) are the only sane ones. My grandparents died when I was so young. My parents had kids when they were so young, nineteen for my mom and twenty for my dad. They had been married for a year. My dad stopped going to school and began doing labor work. Since so many people do labor work, he always gets fired. We keep hoping he'll get promoted at some point. God knows he's so hard-working, but he keeps getting replaced by someone younger and more "capable". Basically, these people studied how to plant seeds for farms and my dad just learned when he began working. He's always wanted to go back to school, but he can't afford to. Maybe now that I'm in the Selection, he can go back.

We've been here for one week. I have done nothing to impress. I've done the exact opposite actually. The first time I met the Prince, I was in the hallway. It was the first night and it wasn't curfew yet, so I wanted to walk around a bit. Only on the second first floor, a floor beneath where the Selected stay. I had just stopped to look at a painting of the royal family when I heard someone say, "Hello, Miss."

I turned around, expecting it to be a guard telling me to go back to my room, but it wasn't. It was the Prince.

"Oh! Hello! I mean, uh, good evening, Your Highness." I stumbled for words. I attempted to curtsy, but I lost my balance and fell right into him, making him fall as well. We both fell to the floor. He began laughing, but I was determined to get up and get the hell out of there. I got up and made sure my balance was right. He got up as well, still laughing slightly.

"I'm so sorry." I said, making sure he was okay.

"That's all right," he said gently. "Are you okay, my dear?"

_Okay, that's kind of creepy._ I thought. "Um, yes, thank you."

"Well, no harm done." He said, smiling.

"I—I—I have to go." I said. And I just took off running. I ran to my room, closed the door, and tried to sleep the memory away. It didn't work, big shocker there.

The next day, when we officially met the Prince, didn't go any better either. He called me over to meet him, and when he saw my face, he immediately started smiling. I could tell he was trying to stifle a laugh.

"Good day, Your Highness," I said, curtsying, but staying on balance this time.

"Good day," he said, bowing back. "Please sit." He gestured to a chair.

I sat down and put my hands in my lap, trying not to fidget.

"So," he began. "I hope you rested well."

"Yes, thank you. And you?"

"Yes, thank you." He looked a bit surprised that I asked him a question about his feelings. Had none of the girls actually done that? How often did he get asked a question like that?

"So, Lady Arabella," he began.

"Oh, please call me Belle. That's what my friends and family call me." I said. _Oh god, what if that was rude? Did that count as interrupting him?_

"Okay, Lady Belle," he winks. I sigh in relief. "Where are you from?"

"Calgary."

"Oh, Calgary is such a beautiful place. I've gotten to visit a few times."

"Yes, that's right! I remember some of the parades that were held."

He sighs. "Yes, Father always wanted to appeal to the public."

"Well, it worked."

He laughs at this. "Yes, I suppose it did. Which is why we continued to do it. What's your family like?"

"Oh, well, they're fairly poor. Well, they used to be. Now that I'm in the Selection, they'll have better opportunities. I can't thank you and your family enough for all of the generosity you've shown us." I pause. "God, that sounded clichéd, didn't it?"

He laughs slightly. "A bit, I'm afraid."

"Sorry." I blush.

"No need to apologize. Now, where did you go to school?"

"I went to Newsome School for the Arts."

"Ah, fine school. What did you study?"

"Well, I took voice lessons, acting lessons, some dance classes. I don't think I was that good though. However, I enjoyed it."

"Well, it sounds like you're rather talented! You'll have to sing for me sometime."

I blush more. "Oh, um, okay."

"Oh, I didn't mean to put you on the spot! You don't have to sing if you don't want to."

"Well, I, just—"

I was interrupted by a guard. "Your Highness, it's time for the next candidate."

"Thank you, Officer Shultz." He turned to me. "Thank you, Lady Belle." He kissed my hand and sent me on.

I had felt pretty honored that he had kissed my hand at our first meeting. But after that, I didn't see him. I'd see him in the hallway, but he's never gone on a date with me. I don't know what I did. It was probably my clumsiness. I've messed up everything, and now I'm going to be thrown out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Okay, so the Prince's name is Will in this story, because I started writing this before checking Kiera Cass's website again and realizing that in The Heir, his name is Ahren and the Princess's name is Eadlyn. Her name will still be Eadlyn, but his name will be William (Will), because I like it better for this story. I could've done this and not made a huge explanation, but I did, and now I'm moving on.**

**Thank you all so much for reading!**

**-ReadLikeYouMeanIt**

He finally asked me out on a date. There's nothing that feels special about this though. It feels more like he's obligated to do this. We're going to the stables. It should be nice, but he's done this with three other girls: McKenzie, Sarah, and Lauren. Lauren's family trains horses, so he's clearly trying to impress her. Why he's taking me to the stables? I have no idea. It seems like he's just trying to look like he's impressing me.

My maids, Claire, Elizabeth, and Grace help me get ready. They put me in a dark violet dress that goes to my knees with a silver belt, matching flats, and a silver necklace. It's not heavily-jeweled, like a lot of the accessories here, which I like. My medium-length hair is curled and put in a low side-ponytail. My makeup is done a little heavily. I don't have too much foundation on, but they went with a dark smokey-eye, so it's not very natural. I assume they know more about the Prince's likes than me. I look elegant, but casual. I look a lot more beautiful than usual, too.

"Why would he be taking me to the stables? Of all places!" I ask.

"Well, the Prince rather enjoys riding horses. I think for one Christmas he even asked for an Arabian horse. I believe that's his favorite breed." Grace explains.

"Yes, but doesn't he also enjoy the gardens? Or the creek they just made." Claire asks.

"Oh, girls, you're not making her feel any better." Elizabeth scolds.

"Oh, but I was the one who asked." I say. "Please don't be mad at yourselves."

They finish up, and I dismiss my maids and wait for the Prince to come. He's supposed to come at four-thirty. I look over at the clock. _4:32_, it reads. Are royalty known for being late? Because it seems to me that they'd try to be on-time. At 4:35, I hear a knock on my door. I go to open it, and the Prince is standing right there. Surprisingly, he's wearing a pair of khakis and a button-down shirt with the top button undone. His blonde hair is a little messy, but it still looks really good. God, he looks dreamy.

"Your Highness," I curtsy.

"Lady Ara—I mean Belle." He says as he bows.

I smile. "You look quite handsome."

"And you look stunning. But I think you might want to change."

"Oh." I say. "Okay, what should I wear?"

"Just some jeans and a simple shirt will do."

"Um, okay. I'll, uh, be right back."

"Take your time." He smiles.

I look in my wardrobe for something simple. _Do I even have jeans? Am I allowed to wear jeans? What is happening?_

I find a dull, pink collared shirt with sleeves that only go to the very top of my shoulders and a pair of dark skinny jeans. I also find a pair of knee-high boots and knee-high socks. I leave my makeup the same, but it take down my hair. I keep the hair-tie with me just in case I need to put it up later. I open the door and put my arms out.

"Do I look okay?" I ask.

"You look gorgeous." He says. I blush and smile at this. He smiles and offers his arm. "Shall we?"

I take his arm. "We shall."

We walk downstairs and out the doors into the gardens. We go towards the stables and are greeted by a young man who looks like he could be a guard.

"Good afternoon, your highness. Lady Arabella." He bows.

"Good afternoon, Officer Moran." William says. O_h, he is a guard. _

"Good afternoon, your highness. Lady Arabella." He bows. "How may I assist you?" The Officer Moran asks.

"Well, I was hoping that we could ride. I, um," William whispers something into Officer Moran's ear.

"Ah, I see." Moran says. "Well, let's get you two saddled up!"

"Oh, I've never ridden a horse before." I say.

"That's all right, you and I will share a horse." William says. "I'll go get Valiant." He goes to get one of the horses.

"But I—" I'm left standing alone as William goes to get the horse and Officer Moran goes to get a proper saddle. This is going to be an interesting date.


End file.
